About Woolly Wits

I am a hand-knitting designer and teacher. See and purchase my published designs on Ravelry.

Monday, April 27, 2015

More Help Finding Your Perfect Pattern


On Friday I posted notes from my presentation on finding a perfect knitting pattern for your figure.  Those highlighted the general rules for dressing to dress taller and thinner.  I am going to continue on with guidelines for specific body issues, such as large or small shoulder, bust, hips, etc.  



Peek-2_small2
Peek by Kim Hargreaves
Some Specific Body Issues To Consider:

·         Thick/Short Neck
o   look for designs with strong vertical lines
o   wear open necklines like v-neck, scoops and slits
o   avoid turtlenecks – mock or regular
·         Thin/Long Neck
o   add bulk with turtlenecks and full collars
o   avoid open necklines
o   wear high collars or turn up your collar
·         Broad Shoulders
o   wear unstructured tops to soften shoulder line
o   deep necklines like v-necks and scoops distract
o   diagonal lines from raglans and halters also interrupt the strong horizontal
o   wear tank tops to cut shoulder  line
·         Narrow Shoulders
o   add width with horizontal lines
o   wear boat neck and off-the-shoulder styles
o   saddle shoulder
o   epaulets add volume
o   be careful of deep necklines – they may fall off
·         Full Upper Arms
o   wear sleeves!
o   wear loose-fitting sleeves
o   avoid cap sleeves
o   sleeve should end below fullness of arm.
o   wear off-the-shoulder tops to distract from arms
·         Large Bust
o   wear minimal texture and pattern over bust
o   necklines:  v-necks, scoops
o   wear wrap tops
o   diagonals will emphasize your curves
o   wear small collars
·         Small Bust
o   wear lots of texture,  pattern and color over bust
o   you can wear horizontal stripes
o   diagonals will emphasize the curves you have
o   enjoy wearing spaghetti straps, halters and other styles which don’t accommodate a heavy-duty bra
·         Long Waist
o   create the illusion of raising your waist and lengthening your legs
o   wear garments below hip length to disguise the fact that your legs are proportionately short
o   wear one color from waist to toe
o   layer your tops
·         Short Waist
o   lengthen the torso by wearing Empire waists (just below the bust)
o   OR put emphasis at hips 
o   don’t tuck in tops
o   wear vertical stripes
o   be professionally fitted for a  quality bra  to hoist up the girls
§  it will give more space between bust and waist
·         Poochy Belly
o   wear Empire waistlines
o   wear sweaters with ruching across belly
o   wear tops long and untucked
·         Broad Hips & Thighs
o   tops should end above or below your widest point
o   wear lots of color, pattern and texture on top – even horizontal stripes
o   you may have to adjust patterns and knit for a larger size on bottom and smaller size on top
·         Narrow Hips & Thighs
o   bring focus below the waist with pattern or texture
o   keep tops simple

o   go for structure rather than drape

Remember that this figures issues have to be considered in combinations, and that some combinations frequently go together.  For example, women with larger busts usually also have fuller upper arms.  (If the larger bust was genetically granted, that is.)  Normally these guidelines will not conflict, but you may end up with a long list of criteria to satisfy.  Where they do conflict, you will have to choose elements to highlight your best features and downplay those with which you are less comfortable.

In the presentation I go on to discuss snoop shopping, and how to use it to test these rules on your real body.  Those notes will be up next.






No comments:

Post a Comment